[An aortic valve-sparing operation (David's operation) for a patient with annulo-aortic ectasia (AAE) and aortic regurgitation (AR)--evaluation by intraoperative endoscopy].

Now, the standard operation for a case with AAE and AR is the composite graft replacement. In this case, an aortic valve sparing aortic root reconstruction, the so-called David's operation, and the intraoperative endoscopic study were performed. In the case of 68-year-old male with AAE and AR, the aortic valve was reimplanted in a tubular Dacron graft and coronary arteries were reconstructed with the Carrel patch technique. After the completion of the aortic root reconstruction, intraoperative endoscopic study revealed the disappearance of AR. Postoperative aortography revealed trivial AR and at present, seven months postoperatively, this patient have been uneventful. In this paper, we discuss the merits and demerits of the David's operation and the effectiveness of intraoperative endoscopic study for the aortic valve sparing operation.